Happymaking Designs by Jacqui Harding
Owly
Owly is a companion cushion that is remarkably full of character. Pictured here in the wild, he is equally at home on a sofa! He has an intarsia front and a fairisle back and was a ton of fun to make and the yarn is lovely - colourful and squishy. Knit flat in two pieces, Owly is perfect for practising colourwork and following charts. Materials: Colinette Cadenza (DK weight,120m per 50g,100% superwash Merino wool) 2 x 50g skeins in Velvet Gold (MC) 1 x 50g skein in Slate (CC1) 1 x 50g skein in Nutmeg (CC2) 4.0 mm needles Tension: 20st & 28 rows to 4" in stocking stitch
Owly cushion
Instructions
Before starting, split blue yarn into 2 balls. Wind off a small ball of brown for the beak, and a small ball of goid to use at the same time for the left hand of the chart when you are adding thebeak From Row 85 you are knitting with the main ball of velvet gold (MC)
| Front With MC, cast on 50 sts. Work Rows 1-110 of chart (Page 4) With MC only; Row 111: K13, cast off 30 sts, k12.You are left with two groups of 13 sts, which will form ears. Right ear: Row 112 (WS): P11, ssp. 12 sts Row 113: Ssk, k10. 11 sts Row 114: P9, ssp. 10 sts Row 115: Ssk, k8.9 sts Row 116: P7, ssp. 8 sts Row 117: Ssk, k6.7 sts Row 118: P5, ssp.6 sts Row 119: Ssk, k2, ssk.4 sts Row 120: [Ssp] twice. 2 sts Cast off. Left ear: With wS facing, join yarn to remaining sts and work as follows: Row 112 (WS): P2tog, p11. 12 sts Row 113: K10, k2tog. 11 sts Row 114: P2tog, p9. 10 sts Row 115:K8, k2tog.9 sts Row 116: P2tog, p7. 8 sts Row 117: K6, k2tog. 7 sts Row 118:P2tog,p5.6 sts Row 119: K2tog, k2,k2tog. 4 sts Row 120:[P2tog] twice.2 sts Cast off. | Back With MC, cast on 50 sts. Work Rows 1-110 of chart (page 5) With MC only; Row 111: K13, cast off 30 sts, k12. You are left with two groups of 13 sts, which will form ears. Left ear: Row 112 (WS): P11, ssp. 12 sts Row 113: Ssk, k10.11 sts Row 114: P9, ssp. 10 sts Row 115: Ssk, k8. 9 sts Row 116: P7, ssp. 8 sts Row 117: Ssk, k6.7 sts Row 118: P5, ssp.6 sts Row 119: Ssk, k2, ssk. 4 sts Row 120:[Ssp] twice. 2 sts Cast off. Right ear: With ws facing, join yarn to remaining sts and work as follows: Row 112 (WS): P2tog, p11. 12 sts Row 113: K10, k2tog. 11 sts Row 114: P2tog, p9. 10 sts Row 115: K8, k2tog.9 sts Row 116: P2tog, p7.8 sts Row 117: K6, k2tog. 7 sts Row 118:P2tog,p5.6 sts Row 119: K2tog, k2, k2tog. 4 sts Row 120: [P2tog] twice. 2 sts Cast off. |
Eyes: The eyes are crocheted. If you are not confident with crochet, you can cut out pieces of felt, using the pictures as a guide. Rnd 1: With CC2, make an adjustable ring. Ch3, 15 tr into ring. Slip stitch into 3rd ch, using MC. Rnd 2: Ch3, 2tr into the top of each stitch in previous round. Sl st to join with CC2. Rnd 3: 3 ch,\*tr into next st, 2 tr into next st; rep from \* to end. Secure centre ring and sew eyes Ontofront. Note: These are UK crochet terms. For USA terms, substitute tr with dc.
Owly cushion
Finishing Wet or steam block the front and back. Blocking does make the sewing up easier and evens out any irregularities in tension. Starting at the base, with RS together, backstitch the sides. Leave a good gap at the base for the stuffing. Turn right side out and stuff evenly. Using mattress stitch, sew the base together. Proudly admire and cuddle! Tips: When working the front, every time you change colour, twist one strand of yarn over the other - you will get a lovely linked twist on the wrong side and no holes. If you do miss a couple of strands and notice it later, you can thread a strand of yarn through the missed bit and knot it securely. When working the back, you may find it quickest to hold both yarns in your right hand, with one strand over your index finger and one over your middle finger for the knit rows, but on the purl rows use your thumb rather than my middle finger. It's a bit awkward to start with but gets more comfortable quickly. I hope you enjoy making Owly. Jacqui x
Stitch Glossary
Bo Bind off the specified number of stitches. Co Cast on the specified number of stitches. KKnit. k2tog Knit 2 stitches together. M1L From the front, lift the horizontal strand between stitches with the left needle. Knit through the back loop. M1R From the back, lift the horizontal strand between stitches with the left needle. Knit through the front loop. PPurl. p2tog Purl 2 stitches together. Ssk Slip 2 stitches knitwise, then knit slipped stitches together. Ssp Slip 2 stitches knitwise, then return slipped stitches to left needle and purl 2 together through back loop.
Owly cushion
Owly cushion
